Reviews by Reaper16:

*thanks to JohnGalt1 for the extra!*
22oz. bomber served into a snifter

Pours a shade of orange-brown that is pretty much a dead ringer for a penny. It's coppery and somewhere in between opaque and translucent. I mean, it seems opaque enough, but if you hold the glass to direct light you can see your fingers through the body. 3/4 of a finger of head dissipates pretty quickly. What head is left is buttermilk in color with spotty lacing. Seems pretty good looking for the style.

This beer has a very hoppy aroma, and the hops contribute the most complexity here. Pinecone and a quick flash of red fruits characterize the hops here. These aromas help to brighten a malt-bill that strays too close to one-note sweetness. Some snickerdoodle cookie and some caramel malts and that's about it. It works, certainly, but a more complex malt profile would elevate this beer.

The aspects of the aroma that hold it back become definite flaws on the palate. The lack of a malt complexity, dominated by caramel malts, leads this beer to tasting more like an East Coast double IPA than a barleywine. The hops are juicy and bitter, but not complex like they'd be in a proper IIPA either. So, basically, this beer tastes way too straightforward (and yet, simultaneously, it tastes awkwardly) to amount to anything good. Plus, the whole combination has something of a plasticity & medicinal tone to it on the finish.

This is medium-bodied for a barleywine. It isn't all that thick, but it is somewhat luxurious feeling. It's definitely not dry, that's for sure. Overall, this is an average barleywine at best. It has some things going for it, and it is far, far from undrinkable, but it just doesn't achieve what it wants to achieve.

22 oz bottle of 2011 Reserve served in a Belgian snifter after some warming in the sealed bottle.

The hazy brown body is topped by a thin weak head that leaves minimal lacing.

Fruity appealing aroma with some biscuit and remarkably little evidence of alcohol. There's little sign of the alcohol upon tasting either ... at first; but eventually the alcohol builds and the finish and aftertaste are actually rather boozy. While the boozy finish detracts from the flavor it is overall good enough, and complex enough, to deserve a 4. More hops than expected for this style and vintage combination.

Received this new-to-me beer from a new-to-me brewery as an extra from Johngalt1. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to try this!

Old Boardhead pours copper with an eggshell white head; Plenty of lingering power and decent looking legs that spiderweb around my glass through my sipping.

The first aroma is unfortunate enough with wafts reminiscent of green apples and overly carbonated homebrew. This beer most certainly is not overcarbonated so I'm curious as to where that smell comes from and why it's so overpowering. The rest of the bouquet is a bit subdued and simple with a sweet (albeit muddled) maltiness. If I try hard enough, I can almost imagine caramel malts and a bit of roast in there.

Flavor comes off quite differently entirely. I think that this barleywine could really come into its own (flavor wise) with a few years on it. Fresh, however, the hops are a bit over-the-top. Earthy, yes... Mostly piney. Anything above room temperature really brought out the piney and sappy nature of the hops and they overshadowed some of the malt profile. Underneath these thick and oily hops, however, was a bit of charred leather, burnt figs and plums and burnt candied sugar. A bit of rich tobacco for good measure and there you have it. I really wish, looking back now, that I would have sat on this for a bit as the overwhelming piney bitterness really could have been dismissed with a bit of time on this bottle.

Overall, I can't say this is a bad beer but I can't say it was impressive either. A smooth enough mouthfeel and hidden alcohol make Old Boardhead easy enough to drink. My biggest issues with this barleywine is a bit too much of the playing on the burnt/char aspect on the fruitiness that manages to struggle its way through the hops and, quite honestly, the overly bitter nature that seems to detract from the star of the show.

Found this one on the shelf at Sprouts on 1st & Wetmore. They had 2012 too but there was this one 2011 left. Pours deep copper with a white head that fades down to basically nothing. The nose is boozey with grapes, some citrus notes (grapefruit, lemon, maybe a hint of lime), caramel and maybe a bit of spice like clove. The taste is one where it seems like this used to be very hoppy. I had the 2010 but I don't remember it. Its piney, bitter, slightly citrus and caramel. Mouthfeel is medium with pretty strong carbonation. Pretty good. Thanks for the shelf aging Sprouts :-)

Poured from the 22 oz bottle into a Scotch Ale glass at cellar temperature. $3.99 at Grapevine Liquor in Denver.

Attractive amber color, head is adequate. Pleasantly carbonated. Label notes Centennial and Crystal hops. Seems very bitter to me. Definitely not the malty and rich style of Barleywine. Sharp in general profile with hardly a note of sweetness. Thin in body. Long fragrant and bitter aftertaste. Nose is just beery with a touch of pine.

Well, it's a bargain for a big ale, but it's kind of hot and prissy. Not rich enough for sipping. More on the medicinal side.

Tawny, copper-colored body with a decent, creamy head. Rich caramel and toffee malt nose with a pinch of booze in the background; dried apricot and peach. Deep, rich malt feel and flavor with strong hop bitterness and alcohol heat at the finish; thick and vinous.

This has been a welcome surprise after letting it sit around for a while. Seems to be a fine complement to a cold, snowy winter afternoon while cooking up a BeerAdvocate potato, veggie, and sausage recipe (ref. issue #84). Yep, it has the deep appeal for a day like today and completely hits the mark for winter enjoyment. Complexity and depth to the nines...

Taste: A bit thin but quite a lot of bite. Slightly sweet, followed by bold bitter malt and hops. Odd to have so much bitterness from malt. Hops are some pine and mild floral notes. Alcohol at the aftertaste.

Overall: I knew right away this was going to be a less than stellar brew. Almost upset that I had to drink 22 ounces of this brew. Doesn't go down easy due to the intense unpleasant bitterness. Could use lots more sweet dark malt character.